Only yesterday : an informal histo ry of the 1920's by \;Frederick Lewis Allen
\nProhibition. Al Capone. The President Harding scandals. The revolution of manners and morals\, Black Tuesday. These are only an in kling of the events and figures characterizing the wild\, tumultuous era t hat was the Roaring Twenties. Originally published in 1931\, Only Yesterda y traces the rise of post-World War I prosperity up to the Wall Street cra sh of 1929 against the colorful backdrop of flappers\, speakeasies\, the f irst radio\, and the scandalous rise of skirt hemlines. Hailed as an insta nt classic\, this is Frederick Lewis Allen's vivid and definitive account of one of the twentieth century's most fascinating decades\, chronicling a time of both joy and terror-when dizzying highs were quickly succeeded by heartbreaking lows.
\n\nThe great crash\, 1929 by \;John Kenneth Galbraith
\nArguing that the 1929 stock market cras h was precipitated by rampant speculation in the stock market\, Galbraith notes that the common denominator of all speculative episodes is the belie f of participants that they can become rich without work. It was Galbraith 's belief that a good knowledge of what happened in 1929 was the best safe guard against its recurrence.
\nAtlantic Monthly \;wrote\, "Econ omic writings are seldom notable for their entertainment value\, but this book is. Galbraith's prose has grace and wit\, and he distills a good deal of sardonic fun from the whopping errors of the nation's oracles and the wondrous antics of the financial community."
\n
\;